So, here’s my idea:

The players are given a magical device that allows them to shift, as a standard action, between the planes. Any one of the heroes can do this on their turn, and it’s only between the Feywild, Material Plane and the Shadowfell. The players are linked together, and so they can’t switch to another plane without everyone going. This dungeon exists on all three parallel planes of existance. As such, the players can step into the other planes in order to get past particular barriers. The dungeon is worn down in the Shadowfell, normal in the Material Plane, and overgrown in the Feywild.

As the players move through the dungeon, they must figure out which plane to shift to in order to get past a particular barrier. Perhaps, in the Shadowfell and the Material plane, a room has a massive chasm in the middle of it. In the Feywild, however, there is a long, vine covered rope bridge. As they cross it, they are attacked by monsters. They can’t shift, or everyone falls and dies.

In another room, the players need to shift to the Shadowfell for some reason (perhaps the text on the wall can only be read in that plane). When they shift, it turns out the room has lots of sinkholes, and some of the players start to fall. If they try to shift back while a player in a hole, the person will be encased in stone when they return to the Material plane.

I’m not sure how all the levels would work, but you could have each room as a set of three pictures on your iPad. You use the iPad as the battlemap, placing your figures on it.. As you shift, the DM swipes his finger on the board, and the room changes beneath the PCs’ feet.

I think it could be really cool, if implemented right. What do you think?

I’ve been back to playing 4e after a few month absence, and I forgot how much I love this game.

However, one thing that’s been bothering me is the immense number of hit points both heroes and monsters have. When I attack, as a monster, I feel like I’m doing nothing. When I attack, as a player, again I feel like I’m not doing anything. After playing Pathfinder and other versions of D&D, I feel like everyone’s too tough to feel like we’re doing anything effective.

When, as a DM, you knock players down until they’re almost out of action, only to have the Cleric boost them back up instantly, it’s frustrating, feeling like you’ve wasted rounds of combat.

I put out, on Twitter, the idea of chopping all HP in half. Right down the middle. However, as pointed out by Eric Paquette, you’ve just made Clerics that much tougher, as they’re able to give massive amounts of HP back in comparison, as well as making Healing Surges hugely powerful. His suggestion? Double all damage.

This may just work. I’ll use my Goliath Fighter I played with the other night as an example: While still maintaining his 62 HP, he’s now dealing 1d10 + 8 x 2 damage with an at-will, or an average of 26 points of damage on an attack. This is a massive amount, sure, but the monsters are dealing it back just as bad. This keeps players on their toes, as well as forcing the DM to plan out his attacks better. Combat is deadlier, moves faster, and you’re ready to move on to more important things rather than spend 3 hours in a single combat (this happened the other night).

As a result of my playing again, I got inspired to get back into running 4e. I’m hoping the new group in Spokane is receptive to this. We’ll see.

Welcome to D&D University. In the posts to follow, I’d lke to talk about what D&D is, what it represents, and why it continues to be the most popular roleplaying game year in, year out.*

Once a week, I’ll be talking about what makes D&D D&D, and, more importantly, why RPGs have such an appeal.

This series isn’t about D&D. I mean, it is, but it’s really about the hobby, with D&D as the framing, it being the RPG most people know best. These articles are meant for those who aren’t familiar with RPGs at all and wish to know more (feel free to point your non-gamer friends over here), as well as people who have been playing RPGs for decades. I want to cover all bases here, and have something for people to be able to find common ground on.

I’ll see you here next week for our first class in D&D University.

*Yes, I know that Pathfinder is cutting into D&D’s territory, but Pathfinder is based on the 3.5 OGL.

The Underdark is taking over D&D this spring. Yesterday, Wizard announced the Rise of the Underdark campaign for the spring, which will pretty much cover all D&D related properties. Here’s the official press release, as well as the campaign trailer. I”m really excited for this. I’ve been liking the Underdark ever since the Underdark book for 4e came out. I’ll have to check some of this stuff out!

Dungeons & Dragons Players Face the Rise of the Underdark;

Fans Will Get Detailed Glimpse into Infamous Drow Race This Spring

April 5, 2012 – RENTON, WA – Wizards of the Coast today announced that its iconic roleplaying game of fantasy and imagination, Dungeons & Dragons®, is inviting players to explore the notorious drow race and venture into a world immersed in darkness and danger during the Rise of the Underdark™ campaign starting this spring. Fans will get a first look at what is stirring below the surface at PAX East in Boston this weekend (Booth #562).

Mystra, the goddess of arcane magic is dead and Lolth, Demon Queen of Spiders is making her bid to seize control.  The drow invasion is about to begin, and adventurers are needed to help stop Lolth from bringing about everlasting darkness to the surface world. With a product line and programs focused on the drow race, D&D® players will get a deep-dive into the events surrounding the Rise of the Underdark and gain access into the minds and lives of the popular race like never before. From a new campaign setting and in-store organized play programs, to novels and other game accessories, this robust suite of offerings will put a fresh spin on players’ campaigns.  D&D fans can also look for new video game content and D&D merchandise to round out their drow experience.

“We are excited to provide players with a drow experience unlike any other with a full suite of products and in-store play offerings,” said Liz Schuh, Head of Publishing & Licensing for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast.  “Players will get an in-depth look at this culture full of trickery and alliances, and get the opportunity to help thwart the evil schemes of the Spider Queen like never before.”

Dungeons & Dragons: Rise of the Underdark offerings include:

• Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook – On May 15, players will thrust into darkness with Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook. Adventurers can delve into dungeons, caverns, and other subterranean environments with this indispensable guide. Players will discover new character themes that add depth to their characters’ backstories and equip them with special benefits that will help on their journeys into the Underdark. Dungeon Masters will uncover advice and tips that will shed new light on creating dungeons and exploring the depths of their campaign worlds.

• D&D Encounters™ – Beginning May 16, players of all levels will be able to gather on Wednesday evenings in local participating game stores around the world to experience the new D&D Encounters: Web of the Spider Queen™ season.  D&D Encounters is the first D&D Organized Play program designed exclusively for weekly play at retail locations worldwide – and this season takes players into the depths of the Underdark to investigate increasing drow activity and what it means for the world above.

• D&D® Lair Assault – Experienced Dungeons & Dragons players worldwide have already been gathering at their local participating game stores as part of the highly tactical D&D Organized Play program called D&D Lair Assault.  The next challenge, Spider Killer™, will kick off on June 1, challenging players to battle against the Rise of the Underdark.  

• Skirmish-Style Game – A new head-to-head miniatures skirmish-style game, Dungeon Command™ will have players assembling warbands and choosing their battlefields as they go head to head in all out war. Releasing July 17, the Dungeon Command: Sting of Lolth™ faction pack will include such heroic miniatures as assassin, arachnomancer, sorcerer, spiders and spiderguards. Other Dungeon Command faction packs will become available throughout the year.

• Charon’s Claw – In this third book of the Neverwinter™ Saga, New York Times best-selling author R.A. Salvatore takes readers back to the city of Gauntlgrym. As the world-famous dark elf Drizzt Do’Urden and his companions return to the ancient dwarven stronghold, they find a small colony of drow. Members of House Xorlarrin and exiles from Menzoberranzan, these drow are trying to establish an independent city free from the rule of House Baenre and its priestesses. Charon’s Claw releases August 7.

• Campaign Setting & Fortune Cards – On August 21, anew campaign setting will provide an in-depth exploration of the greatest drow city in the Dungeons & Dragons® game. Containing all of the information a Dungeon Master needs to run adventures or an entire campaign based in this treacherous city, including descriptions of city locations, drow houses, key organizations, and the precarious political landscape, the Menzoberranzan Campaign Setting also gives players information they need to create characters who are members of drow houses or organizations within Menzoberranzan.  Drow Treachery™ Fortune Cards will provide additional elements of unpredictability that already runs rampant within drow culture to enhance attacks and defenses, or provide other benefits to characters.

• Novels– 2012 also holds the release of a number of mind-capturing novels from some of D&D’s most beloved and imaginative authors, including:
  • War of the Spider Queen, Volume I (April 3), Richard Lee Byers, Thomas M. Reid, Richard Baker
  • War of the Spider Queen, Volume II (May 1), Lisa Smedman, Philip Athans, Paul S. Kemp
  • And the following ebooks:
  • Spinner of Lies: Sword of the Gods (June 5), Bruce Cordell
  • Prince of Ravens (July 3),  Richard Baker
  • Skein of Shadows (July 3), Marsheila Rockwell
  • Spider and Stone (December), Jaleigh Johnson

• Dungeons & Dragons Online, Menace of the Underdark™ expansion – This June, the shadow of Lolth has fallen over the Forgotten Realms kingdom of Cormyr, where heroes struggle to stem the unrelenting tide of Drow forces. As the extent of Lolth’s schemes spread to entangle Eberron, the champions of that world must join those of Faerûn to battle this dark threat—and ultimately, the Queen of Spiders herself.

Dungeons & Dragons is the iconic roleplaying game of fantasy and imagination that is part storytelling, part social interaction and part chance.  Visit DungeonsandDragons.com for more information on the campaign and follow D&D on Facebook and Twitter. You can also look for drow-themed accessories such as cell phone cases, t-shirts and bags!

About Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS), is the leader in entertaining the lifestyle gamer. Wizards’ players and fans are members of a global community bound together by their love of both digital gaming and in-person play. The company brings to market a range of gaming experiences under powerful brand names such as MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and KAIJUDO. Wizards is also a publisher of fantasy series fiction with numerous New York Times best-sellers. For more information about our world renowned brands, visit the Wizards of the Coast Web site at www.wizards.com.

We’ve got a big interview today on the blog. Shelly Mazzanoble, the Player-In-Chief kindly graced us with her time, answering all kinds of questions about her new book, “Everything I Need To Know I Learned From Dungeons & Dragons” (review forthcoming), her mom, her perceptions of D&DNext, as well as how she sees the portrayal of women in games. This is the woman who single-handedly got my wife, Bridget, into gaming. She was interviewed by Bridget almost two years ago for the blog, and I was happy to talk to her again. I hope you enjoy the interview.

1.   Hey Shelly! It’s been a while since we’ve chatted. It looks like you’ve been busy since we last chatted at GenCon. You have Confessions of a Full-Time Wizard, wrangling the celebrities of D&D for events, you’ve gotten married, and now you have your new book “Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Dungeons and Dragons.” So here’s my question: Do you sleep?

Oh yes, I sleep like a champ! That is one thing I have always excelled at. Too bad there aren’t many careers that center around napping.

Yeah, it does seem like a lot happened in the last six months of 2011, doesn’t it? Fortunately the work that went into each of those projects was staggered throughout. “Everything I Need to Know…” was handed off to the editor in early spring, just in time to start the wedding planning, which was just about complete by the time Gen Con rolled around. The book was published four days before the wedding so it was like my mom had a grandchild and wedding all in one week. All her dreams came true! Plus we gave copies of “Everything I Need to Know…” to all of the out of town guests so they’d have something to read on the long flight back to the east coast.

2.   I’m about halfway through your book right now, and really enjoying it. This one feels more like a memoir than “Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress”, which was more of a how-to for women and D&D. What motivated you to write this one?

You’re absolutely right—this one is definitely more “memoir” and less “how to” although if someone learned “how to” make their life better with the aid of D&D, then that’s fine too!

The motivation behind this book was partially to unearth the reason as to why D&D has been around for nearly 40 years and has such a positive impact on so many lives. Regardless of whether or not they’re still playing, when you mention D&D to a child of the 70’s or 80’s and they get that glazed look in their eyes and that whimsical smile spreading across their face, you know they’re being transported back to their friend’s dining room table or cousin’s crawlspace or backroom of the local comic book shop. These are lasting memories, often lasting friendships, and certainly lasting impressions. What started as a learning expedition sort of became a quest to enrich my own life by incorporating D&D principals into my own life. I thought that if I could live my life like a D&D character, would I be able to have such a positive impact on my own life? Would my mother finally stop sending me self-help books and forwarding me emails from the Universe? Granted I was about 30 years behind schedule but better late than never, right? It was worth a shot.

3.   Your mom features pretty prominently in the book, not always in the most flattering of lights. Did she get a chance to see what you were writing about her before it got published?

Here’s the thing about my mom: She’s the most amazing, funny, wonderful, smart, passionate, generous, strong human being I know. We have an incredibly close relationship—some (Bart, my hubby) might say co-dependent. Even when I was a teenager and supposed to be making her life miserable full-time, calling her mother (which she hates), rolling my eyes, telling her at least 22 times a day that she was ruining my life, we got along. For the most part. (I had my moments, to be sure.) I think our relationship will be familiar to a lot of women but I’m finding a lot of men are absolutely horrified by it. Whatever my mother says and does it’s rooted in love and a sense of humor. I sent her unedited chapters to read as I was writing them. She loved it! At first she thought I was such a brilliant writer for “coming up with this stuff” and then I’d gently remind her that I was just cutting and pasting an email she sent that morning and putting quotation marks around it. Subjects with serious short-term memory issues can be a wonderful gift to a writer! Overall, she’s thrilled with her portrayal. She thinks she’s absolutely hysterical and sage-like. And she’d like Kathy Bates to play her in the movie.

4.   You do a fantastic job of showing that D&D goes far beyond just a simple game, and can actually be used to treat your own insecurities and problems. Talk to me about how D&D has helped you, if you don’t mind.

Thank you! That means a lot, especially coming from a long-time D&D player. I was hoping to capture even just a little bit of what you all already know.

First and foremost, D&D has helped me cultivate some of the strongest friendships of my life. I’m the only member of my original D&D group (the one I wrote Confessions about) that still works at Wizards and yet I’m still in touch with all of them. The cleric from my current game was even the officiant at my wedding. The experiences you have on the playing field definitely impact the ones you have off it. I feel closer to this group of co-workers because of our side-by-side experiences in the dungeon.

D&D gives you a creative outlet to explore different facets of yourself. I might be a bit—shall we say—uptight in real life but I can play a character who throws caution to the wind and lives by the seat of her scale mail. I might find something in that character I want to emulate in real life, such as leaving the house with just my wallet, keys and cell phone and not my own private Walgreen’s packed in a steamer trunk. That was a tough one.

 5. This book has a less girly-girl vibe than your last. Was this a purposeful choice?

Yes, it was, because it wasn’t written for a specific audience other than “anyone who has ever played D&D.” It’s still pretty “girly” at times but…well…I can’t help it from seeping in. I hope regardless of your gender, there’s something in this book everyone can relate to.

6.   If you had one piece of advice to give D&D players from your book, what would it be?

Never split the party! Lean on one another, know your role and respect everyone else’s. Sometimes you’re the hero, sometimes you get the assist. Just remember the common goal. And should your rogue accidentally set off a trap because she failed her stealth check, then by all means forgive and forget! It was an accident! I was learning the wily ways of rogues!

7.   Have you gotten to play D&D Next a bit? What are your impressions of it?

My first impression was “Can I be a wizard? I can? Okay, I’m in!” So yes, I am in a playtest but it’s still pretty new to me. D&D Next has some lofty goals, all of which are incredibly exciting. I only wish that I had more experience playing previous editions to have a better feel for how much it resonates, but as a 4^th Edition player, I’m very impressed so far. The parts that I really enjoy are still there and if possible, my little elven wizard is even more bad ass.

8.   Are you currently in a campaign? Are you still playing Tabitha, your Tiefling Wizard?

Well, Tabitha retired when New DM “dumped” us. Thankfully, that was right around the time we started a weekly D&D Encounters game, which was great because even I left my comfort zone and started playing other races and classes (see “rogue reference” above.) That group became the D&D Next playtest group where I’m currently playing an elf wizard (surprise!).

9.   There’s been a lot of talk recently around the blogosphere about women’s portrayal in the art of RPGs. They’re seen as eye-candy rather than as serious warriors like male characters are seen. What’s your opinion?

I think this is a very worthy discussion and one that our Art Director gets into every day. Not too long ago we were looking at art from 1^st edition books and laughing hysterically. The women were not warriors. They looked like victims, complete with palms over forehead and looking upwards at their male counterparts to save them. Since when does being well-endowed imply weakness? But that was a product of the time and the times are a changing. In a good way. The art of D&D today will look very different from the art of D&D tomorrow. And it will look very different ten years from now. Art will continue to change and evolve as long as these discussions are happening. Why does the armor on a barbarian female leave her navel exposed while her male counterpart is fully covered? Why does the female wizard look like she stuck her dry-clean only robes in the dryer? First and foremost, your armor should protect you! It’s not an accessory you put on to go clubbing.

Personally I would never let my character go out in tight leather armor and a breastplate. I’d be like “Button up, young lady! You’re not going into the dungeon looking like that!” But that’s just me.

Thanks for your time, Shelly. You can currently find Shelly over at Wizards with Confessions of a Full-Time Wizard, and read her book, Everything I Need To Know I Learned From Dungeons & Dragons.

Within the next week or so, I’ll be a part of the 5Mind, playtesting D&DNext, so I won’t really be talking about the next edition, as I don’t want to let something slip.

However, there’s plenty else to talk about!

My 4e game is going great, though it looks like the Heroes of the Godfell Stone will have to take a break. It’s not definite, as I’m still seeing how well I’m able to balance it, but I’m in my last semester of college, and I’ve got a ton of classes. If I’m having trouble maintaining balance, I’ll be passing the group off to one of the players to run until March when I’m done.

The Marvel RPG is coming out at the end of February, so I’ll be preordering that, and waiting patiently for it to arrive. I’m a big ol’ Marvel fanboy, so I can’t wait to give it a try. I’ll probably be talking about Marvel stuff in the time leading up to it.

In addition, I’ll be playtesting (hopefully) something my brother has in the works that’s being sold to a game company. I know some vague details, but nothing to really talk about at this point.

I’ve also got the Pathfinder online game I’m running, starting next week, so I’ll be able to talk about that too!

I had initially planned on just talking about why I wouldn’t be talking about the new D&D on here, but realized there’s still a lot I can talk about.

Keep rolling 20′s!

It’s coming! According to the NYT, 5e’s announcement is imminent, coming around 10 EST. According to the article:

“On Monday, Wizards of the Coast, the Hasbro subsidiary that owns the game, is expected to announce that a new edition is under development, the first overhaul of the rules since the contentious fourth edition was released in 2008. And Dungeons & Dragons’ designers are also planning to undertake an exceedingly rare effort for the gaming industry over the next few months: asking hundreds of thousands of fans to tell them how exactly they should reboot the franchise.”

Now, they’ve already been asking for some time, in polls on their site, how it is they should proceed in future editions. My prediction? At DDXP there will be some playtesting going on, and a playtest document, similar to what Pathfinder put out when it was still in beta, will be released around that time.

Get ready for a brand new Edition War!

So, on December 14th, I received an email from Stan! at WotC, informing me that the three pitches I submitted were rejected.

While this is very disappointing, I understood where the production team was coming from, as they took the time to explain it.

Below, I’ll show the pitches I submitted, and below that, the letter I received.

“Hello,

This feature-length article will detail how to create massive battles utilizing the rules D&D already has. By combining Skill Challenges with combat, you will be able to, on the fly, create fantastic battles that invoke the spirit of books such as Lord of the Rings and Dragonlance. Modified swarm rules allow the DM to scale up any monster into a unit of soldiers. The article would also detail objectives within a battle for the players to achieve.

Approximate length of article: 4000 words

 -

Dragon – The War at Sea

This feature-length article will feature rules for ship-based combat. It’s all a matter of scale. Rather than utilizing the personal-scale measurements of one square equaling roughly five feet, you instead have one square symbolizing a hundred feet. Slight modification of a monster stat-block gives you a whole wealth of ships. A simple addition to the stat-block’s traits. Certainly the rules for ships seen in Adventurer’s Vault works for a one-on-one ship battle, but if you begin introducing multiple ships, there are serious problems. This would allow for battles at sea, large or small.

I just read an article over at How Not To Run A Game Business in which the author, Fugaros talks with John from Merlyn’s, the game store in my hometown. In a few months, I’ll be returning to my hometown, and will become a regular customer at Merlyn’s again. I’m very excited.

In the article, he talks about how there needs to be more introductory box sets for games, and says that there are only two in the store: the Pathfinder Beginner Box and the Dr. Who RPG. I can think of one more, the One Ring RPG, but that’s not the point I want to make today.

You often see things online sold as a bundle. On Amazon, you are often given the option of bundling the product you’re buying with another product at a small discount. Why can’t game stores do the same?

Say someone comes in and wants to try out RPGs. They aren’t really into fantasy, but like things like Indiana Jones and Barsoom. The game store owner hands them the Savage Worlds RPG bundle, which includes the Savage Worlds Explorer’s Edition, a set of dice, some character sheets and cutouts of templates, all for $20. You’re ready to go! Head out the door with your new hobby!

Or, if they want to play 4e, give them a bundle of the Heroes of the Fallen Lands, The Rules Compendium, Dungeon Master’s Kit and Monster Vault, along with a set of dice, for, say, $60. You’d be offering this all together at less than you’d sell the products individually for, but it would provide the perfect starter, and would encourage the person to come back for more. Hell, when you sell it, you could give them a coupon for 20% off their next D&D purchase at the store, to encourage them to come back for more stuff.

“This is all well and good,” you say (since you apparently speak like someone in the 50′s), “but these bundles don’t teach you how to play like the Pathfinder Beginner Box does.” True enough. What if a game store offered a $5 “Learn to Play D&D” or “Learn to Play Savage Worlds” seminar? Three hours, for anyone who wants to show. They can sit down and learn how to play this new game they’ve gotten. A few weeks later, offer an Advanced class, that would delve deeper into how to play, offering expert D&D advice and the like. I think people would swarm to it.

Those are my ideas. Do you think they hold any weight? If you were a new player, would this interest you?

John, if you’re reading this, I’d be more than happy to run some seminars for you when I come back to Spokane in June.